This happens only in different ways in two different subfolders
(office) word and visio versions all 2301 16.0.16026.20002 64 bit
The same error pattern happens both with windows 11 or windows 10 - (both 22H2) on two different computers - desktop win10, laptop win11
It seems to be related to office 2021 - installed from official Microsoft channels
visio 2021 - same image file on both computers
microsoft office 2021- two different suites - home and student, professional plus

in one folder :
  • one visio drawing which is less than 2Mb in size can be previewed
  • a new vsdx file which is only a few Kb can be previewed
  • other vsdx files larger than 2Mb cannot be previewed


  • copying the visio drawings from the subfolder where the error appears to a new folder has no effect - the files still cannot be previewed in the preview pane - (jpg and pdf files in the same folder can be previewed)
  • copying the folder to a different drive has no effect - the vsdx files cannot be previewed
  • a new docx file filed in the same folder can also be previewed


vsdx files in a different subfolder can be previewed using the same computers but docx files in that subfolder cannot be previewed - error in Microsoft Word previewer

trust center modification has NO EFFECT - error remains even when i allow all folders in the network to be trusted
permissions are open
everyone read, administrators, interactive, network, system full control

this happens both when the error prone folders are local as well as in a samba share on an SSD attached to the LAN/WLAN router

explorer jams when a file cannot be previewed - the error does not always appear and the preview pane remains blank

there is no office 365 on either computer

  1. Has anyone experienced this weird behaviour?
  2. Has anyone found out why it happens?
  3. Has anyone fixed it?



errors in Microsoft office previewer - visio , word-no-error.jpgerrors in Microsoft office previewer - visio , word-error-previewer.jpg